Maharashtra authorities greenlight employment of 15,000 law enforcement officers
The Maharashtra government has initiated a significant recruitment drive aimed at strengthening the state's law enforcement and easing workload pressures within the police force and prisons. Approximately 15,000 personnel, including police and prison constables, are set to be recruited through a decentralised process at the district level.
The recruitment includes various categories such as regular police constables, armed police constables, drivers, bandsmen, and prison constables. The process will involve an OMR-based written examination conducted at the divisional level, with examination fees set for different categories.
The recruitment drive follows a review of vacancies in the state police force as of 2024 and those expected to arise in 2025. The timeline indicates that once these 15,000 posts are filled, there will be no further police vacancies until December 2025.
The cabinet has delegated powers to the Additional Director General of Police, Training and Special Units, for tasks such as inviting applications, scrutinizing them, processing them, conducting physical tests, and holding written examinations for eligible candidates.
A one-time special provision has been introduced to allow candidates who had crossed the prescribed age limit in 2022 and 2023 to apply for the relevant posts. The recruitment of these personnel is expected to be completed within the next six months.
The recruitment of personnel for three new police stations in Pune district is also approved. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has welcomed the move, emphasizing the need for additional staff to support the establishment of new police stations.
The recruitment process will not be conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC). Instead, the recruitment will be carried out by district police headquarters. The vacant posts include 10,908 posts of constables, 234 posts of constable drivers, 25 posts of bandsmen, 2,393 posts of armed constables, and 554 posts of jail constables.
This approach aims to address longstanding vacancies and streamline the recruitment process, thereby strengthening law enforcement in the state. The recruitment drive was approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Sahyadri Guest House.
- The policy-and-legislation regarding the recruitment drive in Maharashtra's law enforcement involves categories such as sports-betting, but it has been excluded from the current recruitment drive.
- While the Maharashtra government focuses on politics and general-news through the decentralized recruitment process of 15,000 personnel, the sports sector may face consequences without the inclusion of sports constables in the recruitment drive.
- The cabinet's decision to delegate powers for prison constable recruitment to district police headquarters leaves no room for crime-and-justice concerns related to sports-betting to be addressed within the recruitment process.
